Party affiliation major factor in Louisiana Governor, Session poll

by Lou Gehrig Burnett, Publisher of Fax-Net The University of New Orleans Survey Research Center has released the results of a statewide poll on Louisiana’s budget situation and the governor’s call for a special session.

The Survey Research Center conducted an interactive voice response survey, also known as a “robo-poll,” of 919 respondents on Feb. 7. First, let’s look at Democratic Gov John Bell Edwards’ job approval rating. Overall, it’s 49% with 36% disapproving, and 15% Undecided. Whites give him 39% approval, while blacks give him 69%. Democrats give him 74% approval, while Republicans give him 29%, and Independents 44%. Respondents under 50 give Edwards a 46% approval rating, while those over 49 give him 52% approval. It is a different story for the Legislature, which respondents disapprove of by a 2 to 1 margin. Only 24% give the Legislature a good approval rating, while 50% disapprove of the job it is doing. What is interesting is that Republicans disapprove of the job the Republican-majority Legislature is doing by 54%, while only 41% of Democrats disapprove. When questioned on whether Louisiana is facing a budget crisis, 75% of respondents said yes. The larger question here is, who are the 25% who don’t think so or don’t know that the state is facing a financial crisis. Seventy-five percent of Democrats responded yes to the budget crisis question, while 73% of Republicans said yes as well. By race, 77% of whites believe there is a financial crisis, while 73% of blacks do. Younger persons also believe there is a financial crisis – 79% of respondents under 50 said yes to the question, while 71% of those over 49 believe the state has a financial crisis. Who is responsible for the budget crisis? That question drew some interesting answers from respondents. Former Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal got 60% of the blame, current Gov. Edwards got 13%, and the Legislature was cited by 23%, But only 35% of Republican respondents put the blame on Jindal, while 21% said Edwards, and 37% said the Legislature. The flip side of that is 87% of Democratic respondents blame Jindal, while only 4% says Edwards is the blame, and 8% blame the Legislature. On the need for a special session, 68% said that they think one is needed, while 18% said no, and 13% didn’t know. Views differed by party affiliation – 78% of Democrats said they believed a special session is needed and 70% of independents. However, only 59% of Republicans saw the need for a special session.